


Richard's Road

by VirginiasWolf



Category: Death in Paradise
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Major Illness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:48:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27122051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VirginiasWolf/pseuds/VirginiasWolf
Summary: In the wake of surviving the stabbing attack by Helen Reid, Richard suffers a debilitating stroke. Even as Camille rushes to London to be by his side, everybody knows that he has a long road to recovery ahead of him.
Relationships: Camille Bordey/Richard Poole
Comments: 11
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This idea has been bouncing around in my brain for a while, and I finally managed to finish chapter one. Don't worry, I do plan to eventually have our boy recover to reasonably full health (maybe still needing to walk with a cane though so Catherine can commission a custom one as a gift for him?) but along the way he will learn that it's okay to need help and support from others.

Camille is on edge. Of course this isn't an uncommon occurrence for the past several weeks. It isn't easy knowing that somebody recently tried to murder your fiancee and you were the one forced to solve the case. 

  
Even worse yet is the fact that Richard is recovering in a hospital in London while she is stuck on Saint Marie because the new inspector won't give her leave because he has a crush on her. To be fair, Inspector Goodman has no way to know that she is engaged to someone. Her and Richard had planned to shop for a ring after he briefly dropped into his class reunion, and then once it became a near murder investigation, revealing their relationship had just felt like a way to get herself taken off the case.

  
Today's anxiety is of the far worse variety though. It is almost as if she subconsciously knows that some terrible thing that has not yet revealed itself has happened, or is about to happen, and there is nothing she can do to ease the pit in her stomach except sit in her mother's bar and pick at her breakfast before going into work.

  
The anxiety comes to a head when Camille hears her cellphone going off. A quick check reveals the caller to be Jennifer Poole, the woman who will become her mother-in-law as soon as Richard is well enough for a wedding to take place. This isn't unusual by itself, she has talked several times with either Jennifer, or Richard himself, about his recovery, but the time of the call is unusual, and the older woman's tone of voice is not soothing.

  
Finally, suspecting that her fiancee may be the reason for the call, Camille asks, "Has something happened to Richard?"

  
"Yes dear, he had a stroke last night."

  
At these words, Camille suddenly finds herself unable to think, or even hear the rest of what is said. All she can do is let a primal wail escape from her throat as she drops her phone to the table.

  
It is only after her own mother is suddenly holding her that Camille realizes that Dwayne has picked up her dropped phone and is now taking down all of the important details. After a few minutes he finishes up the call by stating, "We'll make sure Camille is on the next flight to the UK." Before Camille can ask, he states, "He's alive, but his doctors believe he's gonna have to relearn how to do a lot of things. Sounds like he's got paralysis on one side too. He's a tough old goat though, I'm sure six months from now he'll be sitting at this very table complainin' bout something."

  
It comes as some comfort that there is apparently something that can be solved, but as the form of the current inspector enters the bar, Camille realizes she is probably going to have another back and forth battle to even see Richard. DI Goodman insists he needs a DS, who for some reason it can't be Fidel, and he has been staunchly refusing to grant the much needed vacation time.

  
Quietly, Camille wipes at her eyes, determined not to let the DI see her crying. However, the moment she is about to stand and turn to make eye contact with her boss, Dwayne speaks again. "We'll keep him distracted. You're gonna go upstairs and pack your bag.

  
A few minutes later, Camille is upstairs. She isn't entirely sure what she will need to pack. She has a feeling London may become her home for quite a while as Richard's condition won't have a quick fix, but she can always have her mother ship over some of her things later on. 

  
This isn't really about her anyway, and she is sure her future in-laws have a working washing machine. Richard won't be the first stroke patient she has encountered, but he will by far be the youngest, and the one who means the most to her, and this scares her more than she'll ever admit.

  
Dwayne is right about him being tough, but she also knows that even before this most recent blow Richard was already mentally and physically exhausted and felt he had been for much of his life. Camille can only hope that he'll have enough willpower to hold on until she can finally be by his side.

  
-  
Camille has just finished putting one last pair of socks into her suitcase when her phone goes off again. After a moment of nervousness, she realizes that this time the caller is Fidel. Perhaps this time the news will be good.

  
"Hello?"

  
"Have you finished packing yet?"

  
"Yes, but I'm still not sure Inspector Goodman is going to let me go. Especially since it will probably be months before he sees me again. I...I don't think I'll want to leave London as long as he's, as long as Richard is still hurting." Camille has trouble coming right out and saying exactly what she means, but luckily Fidel immediately understands.

  
"If Juliette was sick, I don't think anything would be able to keep me away from her, and the new Inspector doesn't really have a choice on whether or not to let you go. Dwayne and I kind of went over his head."

  
Camille sucks in a shocked breath. "You went directly to the Commissioner?"

  
"Gettin' you to London felt like something too important to leave to chance. Just make sure the chief knows that we're all praying he has a speedy recovery."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a pretty slow chapter, but I've got some good ideas for chapter three planned. Oh and yes, you should picture Richard's neurologist, Dr. Armstrong, as looking like Alexander Armstrong

Camille stands in front of the mirror in the guest bathroom of Graham and Jennifer Poole's flat. Her plane arrived in London the previous day, but it had been too late in the day to go to the hospital, so she has spent one practically sleepless, anxiety filled night. Today, she will be allowed to meet with Richard's neurologist, Dr. Armstrong, and learn more about his condition.

Sighing, Camille applies the last touch of waterproof mascara before stepping back to look at the figure in the mirror. It seems so odd to be concerned about what she is wearing, but appearance is something she can control, and she can make an effort to look good for Richard, whom she hasn't seen in person in over a month.

The hospital is modern enough that she has every confidence her fiancee is receiving top physical care, but the overall layout feels like less of a comfort. Then again, part of her unease comes from how very British the hospital feels, so perhaps Richard is fine here. No, he's not fine, but at least maybe he feels safe here.

Camille stands back next to Jennifer as Graham walks over to the check in desk. "We're here to see Richard Poole."

"I'm sorry, only family members are allowed to visit that patient," the nurse states, and Camille has a sinking feeling that she is the one being judged as not a relative. 

"Yes, we're his parents and we've bought his fiancee with us."

As if to confirm Camille's earlier suspicions the nurse turns to look at her and says, "She isn't wearing an engagement ring," in a tone that seems to indicate she thinks she's caught them all in some strange lie.

For a second Camille debates whether it would be more appropriate to put her waterproof mascara to use and unleash crocodile tears over the offense or to perhaps instead stare the nurse down with an icy glare. 

Before she can make up her mind over which to do, a tall man in a medical coat strides down the hallway and apparently immediately recognizes Graham and to Camille's surprise, her. "You must be Richard's fiancee."

When Camille turns to Jennifer with an unintended question in her eyes the older woman states, "We weren't sure when you'd be able to reach London. Dr. Armstrong suggested we put your picture in Richard's room for him to look at."

Of course they'd included her in Richard's recovery plan. Why should she be as surprised as she is about this? Her life is now completely entwined with his for both the good and the bad and this is exactly how she wants it to be.

"Can I see him?" Even to her own ears Camille's voice sounds a bit desperate, but she's traveled halfway around the world to be here. She should be allowed to hold and comfort the man that she loves.

"How much have you been told about his condition?"

This question makes Camille's stomach knot. Is this a polite way of saying that his condition has worsened? Is Richard perhaps now in a vegetative state with no hope of ever returning to the man she has loved so much?

"Has he taken a turn for the worse?"

"Why don't we step inside my office to talk?"

She wants to hate the doctor for not even bothering to throw her a bone, but isn't being more reserved the English way? Perhaps he thinks he's being polite to her.

With this in mind she allows the doctor to lead her to a neatly decorated office that is still far too English for her tastes.

"Why don't you take a seat."

Camille is so exhausted that she immediately complies, but she does decide she has some rules she wants to lay out. "Doctor, please be honest with me. I am not what you would call a delicate flower," after a pause she adds, "and neither is my fiancee. He is a brilliant, brave man and I want to know what needs to be done to return him to his full potential."

Dr. Armstrong looks indecisive for a moment before he states, "In a way, he was quite lucky. Because your fiancee was already at our hospital when the stroke took place, we were able to prevent most of the permanent damage that could have occurred but he is still quite weak. Currently he cannot walk or talk."

All Camille can think is that Richard has probably already decided his condition must be a reason why he has become a burden to those around him. How can she possibly convince him that this is not the case?

Much to her relief after a few more words exchanged, Dr. Armstrong decides to lead her down the hall into a hospital room. Once Camille sees the figure asleep in the bed, her relief quickly turns to something else.

Richard looks incredibly pale and frail in the bed, and all Camille wants to do is hug him and never let him go, but she knows that even at his most healthy, Richard would utterly hate this behavior. Instead, she tries to stay calm as she takes a seat next to the bed and holds Richard's hand in hers.


	3. Chapter 3

Today is finally the day Richard is allowed to go home from the hospital, except of course home means his parents flat, and Camille can only guess on how much this will distress him.

As an attempt to counter this distress, Camille has found herself spending every second of the past week's worth of free time practically micromanaging every new safety measure installed in the home, all while trying to manage her new job as well. 

Commissioner Patterson had used his connections to help her secure a job that would allow her to work from Graham and Jennifer's flat instead of a precinct meaning she gets to spend more time with Richard than she would otherwise. At least for the short term this will be nice.

Except Camille realizes with a sudden upset that in her need to prepare for Richard's homecoming she has forgotten the most essential element, which is making sure Richard feels cared for. 

During all the buzz she only managed to visit him in the hospital a handful of times. Now, on the ride back to the flat he is despondent and refusing to make eye contact. She's hurt him, and she knows it will take a while to make it up. He does at least allow her to lace her hand with his which is a good start.

She decides the only thing she can do is start talking and hope that something at least resonates. "I don't think I was a very good fiancee this past week. I got so caught up in making sure it was safe for you to come home that I forgot that the whole reason I am doing this is because I love you."

The tension dissolves from Richard's body as Camille speaks the final words and Camille realizes he must have gotten so into his self-doubt that he must have genuinely assumed she had lost all of her love for him after his stroke.

As if to confirm her suspicions, when Camille turns to face Richard she sees a single tear sliding down his cheek. 

Not wanting to draw attention to his distress Camille reaches out to wipe away the tear with the pad of her thumb. As much as she has enjoyed the fact that they normally have a relationship filled with banter, she knows he is going to need an excess of tenderness from her, and tenderness is what she is going to give him.

Eventhough he cannot talk, Camille can tell that Richard is exhausted. The moment they get to the flat she helps him use the lift to get upstairs so they can both take a nap.

Once they are in the bedroom Camille helps him into a pair of warm pajamas quite similar to the ones she used to torment him about on Saint Marie. 

She can see the look of distress on his face over how much help he needs, so as Camille finishes helping button the top button she leans over and plants a kiss on his forehead hoping this will be enough to soothe him. "Let's get some rest."

Camille finds she can't fall asleep immediately. She isn't distressed, in fact, she is feeling quite the opposite. More than anything she wants to savor the fact that she is again holding Richard in her arms after far too long. The last time she had held him like this had been the morning of the class reunion where he had almost died.

She hadn't wanted him to leave that morning. As they had lain together in the bed of the beach shack she had petulantly whined for him to stay, almost like a little child, and at the time she hadn't even known why. He had pacified her by insisting they could go ring shopping later, and for the next few hours she had stupidly assumed that her own angst had come from not yet having a ring placed on her finger. By early afternoon she had been solving his attempted murder.

As if that hadn't been bad enough, because Camille had not immediately informed him that she was engaged to the victim, she'd been forced to deal with Humphrey Goodman chasing after her. Of course if she hadn't been so distressed this might have been funny, especially the night when Fidel had casually pulled her aside and informed her that Humphrey had just told him that he would not be reconnecting with his wife because he was certain Camille was his true love. At the time, the two friends had exchanged a laugh about the clueless state of their new inspector, but later Camille had went upstairs and cried herself to sleep over missing Richard.

Now, all she can do is watch the sleeping form in her arms and feel thankful that they are again together. Softly she reaches out to brush a loose strand of hair from his forehead. "I should never have let you go the last time I held you like this." Two green eyes open lazily to look at her. Richard must have also been savoring this moment.

They lay like this for several minutes with Camille not speaking. Finally, Richard lazily nestles himself against her side. This time he actually does fall asleep rather quickly.

Camille however finds that she still cannot sleep. In fact, she just isn't tired. Had she really been tired in the first place, or simply too embarrassed to admit that she merely wanted to cuddle?

For nearly an hour she allows Richard to sleep against her, just listening to the soft sounds of his breathing, but then she feels a sudden rumbling in her stomach. She hasn't ate anything since breakfast and it is now early afternoon.

Carefully Camille extracts herself from the arms of the sleeping man and writes a quick note for him before wandering downstairs.

At the kitchen table she finds Jennifer Poole sitting. "Is something wrong, Dear?"

Before Camille can respond, her stomach grumbles, answering the other woman's question.

"Oh. You haven't ate anything since breakfast. I'm sorry I haven't really gotten a chance to stock the fridge, but I have some cold cuts and I can make you a cup of tea if you'd like."

Camille is about to go to the fridge and make herself the sandwich, but the older woman stops her, forcing her to sit down.

"You've been such a Godsend for Richard."

"Well, I'd hope he would do the same if I were the one who was sick"

"He would. It's obvious how much he cares for you. I saw how easily you were able to calm him in the van."

As Camille continues to talk with her future mother-in-law she gets the impression that what she'd already suspected is true. Of course Richard is the true victim in all of this, but Jennifer isn't a bad mother. Her and her husband made some choices for their son that had hurt him more than they had helped, but Camille has no doubt that at the time they assumed they were doing right. And now, decades later, Jennifer is terrified because her son who has already suffered horribly is now undergoing his biggest hurdle yet. Camille almost feels a need to comfort and reassure the woman.

After a few more minutes of chatting with Jennifer, Camille excuses herself and takes her cup of tea upstairs so that she can sit in the bedroom window seat and make a few phonecalls.


End file.
